Thousands Of Union Protesters Have Stormed The State Capitol In Michigan To Protest The GOP's Right-To-Work Bill

AP
Thousands of union members and organized labor activists have stormed the Michigan state capitol this morning to protest pending "right-to-work" legislation that is scheduled for a vote Tuesday.

The Detroit Free Press reports that protesters have already filled the Capitol building in Lansing. According to the newspaper, 10,000 people are expected to gather outside to demonstrate against the law, which would make it illegal to require workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment.

AP
On the surface, Michigan may seem like a surprising battleground for the latest GOP assault on organized labor. The manufacturing-heavy state is a stronghold for several powerful public and private-sector unions, most notably the United Auto Workers.

The New York Times reports that just last month labor leaders asked the state's voters to approve an initiative that would have codified collective bargaining in the state constitution.

That measure backfired, and last week, GOP state legislators pushed through the right-to-work bill without any committee hearings or Democratic support.

The conflict exposed growing tensions between Michigan's labor movement and the state's Republican lawmakers, echoing a trend that has been popping up in statehouses across the Midwest since 2010, including in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

But if the outcome of those labor fights are any indication, it is unlikely that Michigan's right-to-work fight will end at Snyder's desk today. According to reports, labor organizers are already exploring legal options to repeal the right-to-work law, and recall Republican lawmakers instrumental in passing the bill.

UPDATE, 12:35 p.m.:

The AP reports that the Michigan state House passed the first of two right-to-work bills Tuesday, voting along 58-31 along party lines. The bill, which deals with public-sector unions makes it illegal to require workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment.

The House is expected to vote on a second right-to-work- bill dealing with private-sector unions later this afternoon.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has said that, once passed, he will sign the bills into law as early as Wednesday.